Sea otters a sign of Vancouver Island's coastal renewal

Michael Mccarthy, For The Province12.05.2013

Eliminated through hunting by the early 1900s, a re-introduction of 89 otters from Alaska in 1969 has grown to an estimated 3,000 individuals living from Cape Scott to Barkley Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

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It's hard to keep the kayak aimed straight to the waves. Bobbing up and down about a quarter mile north of Spring Island in the Pacific Ocean, just west of the tiny native village of Kyuquot on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, it's not the waves that have my attention. It's the raft of sea otters I can see straight ahead.

A bunch of lions is known as a pride. A whole lot of sea otters are known as a raft. Here, off Kyuquot, drifting in a giant bed of kelp, are anywhere between one and two hundred otters. I think I may have found the largest raft of sea otters in North America. It's a sign of renewal, not only of the sea otter population but also of the Kyuquot people and this remote region.

West Coast Expeditions is a small company based in Comox and it offers the best opportunity to explore this remote destination.

Dave Pinel has been running kayak trips out of his base camp on Spring Island and leading west coast marine adventures since 1985, and organizing personal adventures long before that. Since 2002, Pinel has coordinated and taught the Coastal Adventure Tourism Program for North Island College. He has a passionate interest in coastal ecology and local native culture. A trip with him is more than finding sea otters; it's a story about renewal, of the otters and the land and aboriginal culture, and yourself. The revival of the sea otter is a success story on Vancouver Island.

Eliminated through hunting by the early 1900s, a re-introduction of 89 otters from Alaska in 1969 has grown to an estimated 3,000 individuals living from Cape Scott to Barkley Sound on the west coast of the island.

The sea otter is a "keystone species," exerting an effect on its environment far greater in proportion to the actual numbers of otters living in the community. The otter's regulation of the sea urchin population is the sole reason the urchins do not decimate the kelp forests.

When the otters became extinct in this region, the kelp forests and the vast majority of the life living in them suddenly vanished. Now that the sea otters have been reintroduced, the urchin population is once again regulated, and the kelp forests (the most productive ecosystem in the world) are once again taking hold on Vancouver Island's west coast. It's not easy to get a photo of a sea otter from a distance of several hundred metres.

My kayak bobs up and down, and the raft of otters bobs in the waves, and we can't seem to get in sync. However, with luck, one might swim by your kayak just to have a look.

Along with baby seals and pandas, sea otters could be the most photogenic creatures in the world. Lying on their backs with their paws tucked under their chin, they are almost intolerably cute. You want to give them a kiss and tuck them into bed.

Sea otters primarily eat bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as sea urchins, plus clams, mussels, crabs and occasionally some fish. This last transgression puts them in competition with local fishermen. The nearby village of Kyuquot is home to 300 people, the northernmost of the 14 Nuuchah-nulth First Nation bands on the coast. Logging used to be an employer here, and signs of clear cuts are still evident, but much of the forest has grown back.

Until recently, fishing was the prime industry in Kyuquot.

In recent years, with the fishing season becoming more limited, tourism is seen by some natives as a viable alternative.

Kyuquot village now has a bed and breakfast, motel and restaurant, a general store and several fishing lodges.

Kyuquot people are involved with West Coast Expeditions. Some Kyuquot folks cook and cater for large groups.

Pinel has built a main camp comprised of sheet plastic walls and roof sheltering a kitchen and dining area where excellent meals are served. Large comfy tents with beds are scattered in the woods for guests. The biffies have won awards. No, it's not roughing it. The real adventure is out on the waves.

A multitude of kayak lessons and adventures are offered, from beginner to expert.

The western shores face the Pacific, while the eastern beaches open upon calm, sheltered waterways. The interior forest of the island offers hikes to view massive cedars up to 1,000 years old and the island's west coast contains wild beaches where wild gales can blow. After a long look at the otters, I head east. Drifting lazily among scattered islands, basking in the summer sun, I realize I am in paradise.

Kyuquot is a remote destination, one where the journey is part of the attraction. Fly directly to Comox or Campbell River airports. Both are easily accessed with many connecting flights from Vancouver.

Otherwise ... By road - Kyuquot is a 30-minute boat ride from the nearest unpaved road on Vancouver Island. From Nanaimo drive north on Highway 19 to kilometre marker 320 and turn off to the left at the road marked Zeballos/Fair Harbour.

By air - Air Nootka airnootka.com has scheduled flights from Gold River to Kyuquot Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Vancouver Island Air vancouverislandair.com from Campbell River. Kenmore Air or kenmoreair.com from Seattle.

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